The IRS and I Don’t Know

The recent IRSscandal involving targeting of certain conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status is troubling on many levels. The more questions asked and the more information uncovered, the disconcerting it gets.

Aside from the potential abuse of governmental authority or violation of civil liberties, the lack of information, knowledge and candor by the IRS officials testifying before Congress is incredulous. Former acting IRS Commissioner Steven T. Miller could only muster a meek apology for not providing good customer service to the affected groups when he testified. In addition to Mr. Miller, multiple IRS officials have testified before Congress over the past three weeks. When questioned about who was responsible for this additional scrutiny, the same basic response is offered every time, “I don’t know. Without sounding overly critical, their response is lame.

The initial response from the IRS and White House blamed two rogue employees in the Cincinnati, OH Service Center. Doesn’t it make sense you might know the names of the individuals if you say its two people? Even if someone didn’t know their identity at the time, I think you could track them down in three weeks. Additionally, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) investigated this practice for nearly a year before the report was made public. Why wasn’t the TIGTA able to determine who was involved?

As some of the groups targeted by the IRS have come forth, it is obvious involvement went beyond two low-level employees in Cincinnati. IRS inquiry letters have been produced from multiple locations, signed by various individuals, including Lois Lerner, the head of the IRS Exempt Organizations Division responsible for approving these applications.

These are not low-level employees who are testifying. They are highly paid professionals responsible for the direction and operations of the IRS. It’s not realistic for them to know everything happening at the IRS, but it is their job to find out. Professing ignorance and blaming subordinates is not commensurate with they pay and position.

As someone who interacts with the IRS on a continual basis and has responded to countless IRS inquiries and audits, telling an IRS agent “I don’t know” isn’t sufficient. You may not know the answer at the moment, but you have to find out. When you meet or talk with an agent, you’re supposed to be prepared to answer their inquiries. Justifiably, IRS personnel get frustrated and annoyed if you can’t answer many of their questions and everything is delayed.

The IRS sends you a list of questions or inquiries ahead of time. While Congress may not provide a list of questions in advance, questions like “How did this happen?” or “Who is responsible?” seem rather obvious. To appear before Congress without any ability or intention of answering those questions is mystifying.

As some Members of Congress have already pointed out, the IRS should be held to the same standards of cooperation and responsiveness they expect from the U.S. taxpayers. If “I don’t know” won’t fly with the IRS, “I don’t know” shouldn’t fly for the IRS.